HPV campaigner and Conservative Party Vice Chair, Mike Freer, is today celebrating the announcement made by Department of Health advisors that HPV vaccinations will be extended to men who have sex with men (MSM). The announcement follows extensive campaigning by Mike Freer which included holding a debate in Parliament on the matter.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the body responsible for advising the Government on vaccines, made the announcement at their most recent meeting. The Committee noted that “MSM were at high risk of HPV infection as they received little indirect protection from the highly successful HPV vaccination programme in adolescent girls”.
Mike Freer comments “I’m delighted that the JCVI have listened to my campaign and agreed that the HPV vaccination programme should be extended. Men who are at risk of getting the HPV virus should be afforded the same protection as anyone else. I will now be focussing my efforts on ensuring that Ministers adopt the recommendations as soon as possible”.
Further information on the campaign, can be found on Mike Freer’s website at http://www.mikefreer.com/campaigns/hpv-vaccination-campaign.